Leeds manager Daniel Farke suggested that Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma faked an injury to allow Pep Guardiola to give his players a pep talk, which ultimately led to City’s 3-2 victory in the Premier League.
The match, played at the Etihad Stadium, began with City dominating the first half. Phil Foden scored in the first minute of the game and Josko Gvardiol extended the lead. However, the match changed in the second half when Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who came on as a substitute, scored Leeds’ first goal.
With the score at 2-1 in favor of City, Donnarumma requested medical assistance, which led Guardiola to gather his players to adjust the strategy in the face of Leeds’ tactical change.
Despite Guardiola’s talk, Leeds tied after a penalty conceded by Gvardiol and converted by Lukas Nmecha. However, Foden scored again in added time, securing the victory for City.
Daniel Farke was not happy with Manchester City’s goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Although his team managed to tie, Farke felt the game changed after the medical attention to Donnarumma. It’s within the rules. It’s smart. If I like it, if it’s in the spirit of fair play, if it should be that way, I keep it to myself and let the authorities find solutions. It’s within the rules. Guardiola stated that he believed Donnarumma’s injury was genuine and instructed James Trafford to warm up in case it was necessary. The City arrived at the match after two consecutive defeats against Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen. Conceding a two-goal lead against a team fighting to avoid relegation would have been a harsh blow to their title aspirations. Guardiola described Foden’s goal as a relief. He acknowledged that the game was not perfect in the first half, but highlighted the team’s reaction to adversity. He emphasized the importance of quickly putting the ball into the area and Foden’s quality in defining the match.
